Charities and not-for-profit organisations are busy in our community filling the gaps governments and companies miss. In order for these organisations to continue to exist, they need to maintain funding and financial viability. They also need to show outcomes and measureable results (impact).
Trust in an organisation is vital to success. A recent Charity Commission for England & Wales report linked trust to donation behaviour. The greater the trust, the more the donor will repeat giving (money or time) to the charity. Donors want charities to;
Communication is key to all of this. If you can communicate your impact to others, then they are more likely to support your organisation. The Impact Suite is helping charities. Funders, donors and partnering organisations come to The Impact Suite to identify the well run charities that live their values and demonstrate impact. This is summarised on a charity’s profile page with a Lotus Rating.
Impact is not the same for every organisation. Some may have a narrow purpose, and others may have to service Australia’s wide geography… apples, oranges, and pears. What is common is being able to explain what you do (purpose) and how you might measure that (impact).
We get asked by a number of charities how to define impact. There is no definitive answer, rather each organisation can consider areas of primary or secondary impact they may have. The following are a list of thought-starters based off common ACNC charity types…
Primary Impact
Saving lives
Reducing pain and suffering in short and long term
Reducing incidences of sickness through early intervention
Improving outcomes through effective transportation.
Secondary Impact
Reducing time off work
Reducing costs of illness including insurance and sick leave
Minimising spread of disease
Reducing stress on loved ones
Primary Impact
Sharing useful knowledge
Getting individuals ‘Job Ready’
Self-esteem
Secondary Impact
Creating a stronger and better performing workforce
Creating a foundation for innovative thinking
Primary Impact
Improving Well-being and Quality of Life
Reducing pain and suffering
Reducing social isolation
Health outcomes
Build self-esteem
Sharing knowledge
Reduce depression and suicide
Reduce disease
Supporting people with a disability
Protecting vulnerable people
Secondary Impact
Supporting a diverse culture
Reducing welfare dependency
Support communities to return to functionality
Reducing stress on families
Reducing costs on society
Primary Impact
Reducing social isolation
Sharing knowledge
Supporting ‘at-risk’ groups
Well being
Quality of life
Secondary Impact
Supporting moral fabric
Cultural
Reducing extremism
Primary Impact
Reducing social isolation
Sharing knowledge
Supporting ‘at-risk’ groups
Well being
Quality of life
Supporting new ideas
Employment
Secondary Impact
Providing knowledge for future planning
Cultural
Primary Impact
Supporting lifestyle
Reducing pain and suffering
Self-esteem
Sharing knowledge
Reducing loss of life
Sense of self
Reducing social isolation
Secondary Impact
Strengthening family bonds
Cultural
Knowledge sharing
Primary Impact
Reducing loss of life
Supporting lifestyle
Reducing pain and suffering
Protecting vulnerable people
Teaches
Secondary Impact
Strengthens communities
Raises awareness to protect others
Stores and shares knowledge
Primary Impact
Reduces pain and suffering
Sharing knowledge
Well-being
Reduce costs of animal care
Saving lives
Secondary Impact
Environmental
Reducing disease
Primary Impact
Reducing social isolation
Well-being
Knowledge sharing
Secondary Impact
Cultural
Environmental
Protecting history
Primary Impact
Improving life expectancy and quality of life
Reducing pain and suffering
Saving lives
Employment
Knowledge sharing
Secondary Impact
Reducing mortality rates
Future health outcomes
Knowledge sharing
Long-term health benefits
Primary Impact
Supporting disadvantaged individuals
Well-being
Quality of life
Reduce pain
Reduce social isolation
Create understanding
Knowledge sharing
Secondary Impact
Strengthen community
Cultural